A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament's all-party environment group said: "Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA."

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited".

Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date.

"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."

He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. "My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts," he said.

Coca-Cola and Britvic's Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government.

I see a lot students at my school consume soft drinks all the time. Some consume 2-3 a day

my niece kills about 4-6 a day. her mom cares nothing about eating healthy. her kids live off of cookies, soda and chips.
i try to chime in from time to time but the kids flip out if they have to eat normal food. its going to get ugly for them when they start getting fat.

It could also be due to the nutrient repartitioning from the anabolic steroids. You body can store much more glycogen than normal and your blood sugar may get low as a result.

Though that's definitely true, I have learned..the hard way..that most methyls that drive down lipid values also mess with serotonin levels.

In short, harsh methyls that cause the quasi-choleostasis that we all know about also drive me deep into depression. Upon looking into the primary lit, mostly from european sources, low cholesterol levels are directly linked with low serotonin and an increase in depression, aggression and other mental illnesses. The American medical establishment seems completely unaware of this or, IMO, is ignoring it to sell more statins.

Coupled with the serotonin crash that is possible during periods of hypoglycemia, it can make for some very unpleasant mood swings.

my niece kills about 4-6 a day. her mom cares nothing about eating healthy. her kids live off of cookies, soda and chips.
i try to chime in from time to time but the kids flip out if they have to eat normal food. its going to get ugly for them when they start getting fat.

That sucks because kids develop their eating habits at a young age. Someone did a paper in one of my classes years ago which demonstrated that if you fed your kids in a healthy way and had them become physically active then they would stick with it as adults unlike kids who grew up on McDonald's and Pizza Hut.

I think that's a form of child abuse if you ask me. The thing is that it takes years for the effects to fully kick in. 4-6 soft drinks a day is insane. Whatever happened to water LOL ?

Though that's definitely true, I have learned..the hard way..that most methyls that drive down lipid values also mess with serotonin levels.

In short, harsh methyls that cause the quasi-choleostasis that we all know about also drive me deep into depression. Upon looking into the primary lit, mostly from european sources, low cholesterol levels are directly linked with low serotonin and an increase in depression, aggression and other mental illnesses. The American medical establishment seems completely unaware of this or, IMO, is ignoring it to sell more statins.

Coupled with the serotonin crash that is possible during periods of hypoglycemia, it can make for some very unpleasant mood swings.

Ever tried those cycles with SAM-e ? I used to get depressed when I cycled off ephedrine and it helped me a lot. It's also great stuff for liver protection and joints to a degree.

i only drink one soda a day and thats in the morning. no beer,milk,coffee,wine, and tea only water. now im not going to drink my one soda in the morining anymore

You're crazy!beer= no no. clear liquor= i like once or 2x a month. Milk=EVERY FREAKIN' DAY! Coffee once or 2x a week. Wine=waste of time. soda= once a week, only moutain dew though. I would assume these same additives are in energy drinks? I'm going to look right now, glad im weaning myself of those now too.

one of my friends is a power lifter and drinks around 3-4 cans of dr.pepper daily.

Does he lift crazy though? rememebr if you burn more than you eat its ok.... haha

He's a big boy, muscular but has some chunk.. most pl's do. His coach is always on his ass about drinking so much soda... w/e though, he likes it and does well come comp day. He's got the "if its not broken don't fix it" attitude lol.

He's a big boy, muscular but has some chunk.. most pl's do. His coach is always on his ass about drinking so much soda... w/e though, he likes it and does well come comp day. He's got the "if its not broken don't fix it" attitude lol.

For sure. It's good to be a little thick as i like to say. Exactly, if he performs awesome who care if he eats McD's or BK every freakin day?

i dont drink soda anywhoo and havnt for a couple years (like3)... i drink an energy drink err day though but its 50% juice (the juiced guava Rockstar) and it doesnt contain sodium benzoate, just benzoic acid, wich i assume isnt the bad one, since it specifically said it takes sodium benzoate AND vit c to make the bad corcinogenic effects....

i dont drink soda anywhoo and havnt for a couple years (like3)... i drink an energy drink err day though but its 50% juice (the juiced guava Rockstar) and it doesnt contain sodium benzoate, just benzoic acid, wich i assume isnt the bad one, since it specifically said it takes sodium benzoate AND vit c to make the bad corcinogenic effects....